population

New Arlington Profile Forecasts Continued Growth

By ARLnow.com

Projected Arlington population growth (graph via Arlington County)A new Arlington County profile has been released for 2013, and it shows a significant uptick in projected population growth, thanks in part to development along Columbia Pike.

Arlington’s population, currently estimated at 212,900, is projected to surpass 250,000 by 2030. The population will hit 258,800 in 2030, according to the latest projection from Arlington’s planning division. That’s up 5 percent from last year’s projection of 246,500.

The increase, according to county demographer Elizabeth Rodgers, is largely due to the fact that the Columbia Pike Neighborhoods Plan, approved in July 2012, was incorporated into the projection. The plan calls for the Pike to be transformed into a more populated, urban and walkable community, with 10,000 new housing units added by 2040.

With the Columbia Pike plan incorporated into the projection, the county’s population is expected to hit 276,100 by 2040.

Employment in Arlington, meanwhile, is projected to increase to 308,000 jobs in 2040, up from the current level of 228,700 jobs.

According to the profile, 40,671 Arlington residents live and work in Arlington. Another 47,226 residents work in the District of Columbia. But that’s less than the number of Fairfax County residents who work in Arlington, which stands at 48,242.

Other vital statistics can be found in the 2013 Arlington County Profile.

Graph via Arlington County

Morning Notes

By Katie Pyzyk

"Anna and David" sculpture in Rosslyn

Arlington Homeless Population Increases — Despite a decline of 2.4 percent across most of the region, Arlington’s homeless population rose by six percent between 2012 and 2013. The figures were gathered during the annual homeless census on January 30. The county’s new homeless count stands at 479 people, up from 451 the previous year. [Sun Gazette]

Streetcar Cost/Benefit Test — An article criticizing Libby Garvey’s op-ed in the Washington Post contends streetcars do indeed pass the cost/benefit test, contrary to Garvey’s thoughts. The author favors a streetcar to buses based on points such as the streetcar having a greater passenger capacity, faster rate of travel and bringing more development to the area. [Greater Greater Washington]

Raise the Roof Service Project — The Arlington Teen Network Board has teamed up with Rebuilding Together Arlington/Fairfax/Falls Church for a service project called “Raise the Roof.” Tomorrow (April 27), volunteers will begin repairing the Borromeo Housing, Inc. group house, which is a transitional home for teen moms and their children. Volunteers are collecting money to continue with the next phase of the service project, which involves a facelift of the interior and exterior of the home. Those interested in contributing can do so through the project website.

Police Seek Tips in Two Theft Incidents — The Arlington County Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in finding suspects involved in two separate theft incidents. The first incident involved shoplifting at South Moon Under (2700 Clarendon Blvd) on March 1. Suspect descriptions are available online, along with contact information for reporting tips. The second case involves tracking down persons of interest in the theft of a victim’s wallet. The victim’s credit cards have since been used around the area. Suspect information and contact information for reporting tips for that crime can also be found on the police department website.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Snow tires by BrianMKA

Chamber Wants State Control of Energy Plan — One of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce’s legislative goals this year is to have the state take control of energy efficiency and green building standards. The Chamber’s call for statewide objectives and policies comes as Arlington is in the latter stages of developing its own Community Energy Plan. “The Chamber does not support the delegation of authority to localities to establish green-building codes and requirements on a locality-by-locality basis,” the group wrote. [Sun Gazette]

VSP Responds to Crashes During Storm — Yesterday’s snow, ice and rain storm resulted in dozens of crashes on Northern Virginia highways. Virginia State Police’s Fairfax division (which includes Arlington) responded to 69 crashes, 46 disabled vehicles and a total of 328 calls for service yesterday, according to VSP spokeswoman Corinne Geller. Statewide, VSP responded to 686 crashes, including one fatal wreck in Campbell County, near Lynchburg.

Population Decline Coming? — Updated at 12:55 p.m. — A projection by researchers at the University of Virginia suggests that Arlington’s population will, against all conventional wisdom, actually decline in coming years. In the 2010 census Arlington had a population of 207,627; by 2040, the projection suggest the population will shrink to 197,065. The researchers cautioned against putting too much faith in the Arlington numbers. As a whole, Virginia is projected to grow, with some 2 million additional residents statewide by 2040. Arlington’s planning division projects a population of 252,400 in 2040. [Sun Gazette]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Number of Households Growing — The number of households in Arlington grew by one percent over the past year — from 105,667 to 106,717 — a rate twice that of the 0.5 percent household growth in the Commonwealth of Virginia, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. [Sun Gazette]

New Ballston Bars Reviewed — Ballston’s bar scene has “received a shot in the arm over the last two weeks” with the openings of World of Beer and A-Town Bar and Grill, according to a review by Fritz Hahn. [Washington Post]

Flickr pool photo by Ddimick

Arlington County By the Numbers

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County has released the latest version of its annual Profile publication, a compendium of vital statistics about the county. The 2012 Arlington County Profile includes information about the county’s demographics, economy and cultural resources.

In terms of population, Arlington’s Community Planning, Housing and Development (CPHD) department estimates that there are 99,900 total household in the county. Arlington’s population, meanwhile, will exceed a quarter of a million by 2040, according to CPHD forecasts.

  • 2012 Population: 211,700
  • 2012 Employment: 227,500 (jobs located in Arlington)
  • 2040 Population: 252,400 (est.)
  • 2040 Employment: 308,400 (est.)

Government was the top job sector in Arlington, based on 2012 estimates.

  • Government: 26.4%
  • Professional and technical services: 20.7%
  • Hospitality and food: 7.1%
  • Transportation and warehousing: 4.5%
  • Real estate: 3.7%
  • Information: 2.9%
  • Finance and insurance: 2.4%
  • Construction: 2.1%
  • Other services: 21.4%
  • Other (including retail): 8.9%

As of 2011, the top ten private employers were:

  • Deloitte: 5,100 jobs
  • Lockheed Martin: 2,700 jobs
  • Virginia Hospital Center: 2,120 jobs
  • Marriott International: 1,940 jobs
  • Bureau of National Affairs: 1,906 jobs
  • Booz Allen Hamilton: 1,400 jobs
  • SRA International: 1,360 jobs
  • CACI: 1,217 jobs
  • SAIC: 1,200 jobs
  • Corporate Executive Board: 1,060 jobs

Arlington’s economy remains strong, with low unemployment and high household income. The 2012 median household income in Arlington is $99,600, while per capita income is $78,000. Total retail sales in Arlington came to $3.14 billion in 2011. The residential rental vacancy rate was 4.6 percent while the average rent went up by 2 percent from 2010 to 2011. Arlington’s civilian labor force of 141,073 had an unemployment rate of 3.9 percent as of March 2011.

Arlington’s 2012 tax base was divided between 49 percent commercial and 51 percent residential.

Arlington is also rich culturally. The county had 8 libraries, 149 county parks, 13 community centers, 3 nature centers, 6 senior centers, 120 athletic fields, 118 tennis and basketball courts, and 86 miles of bicycle routes and jogging trails.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Examiner Promotes Virginia and Maryland Stereotypes — Maryland is for “white wine and brie” liberals and Virginia is for gun-toting “backwoods” conservatives, according to the Washington Examiner. Residents of each state are reluctant to visit the other because of the “culture clash,” the paper says. [Washington Examiner]

Power Outage in North Arlington — Residents who live along Lee Highway between North Veitch Street and Military Road lost power for a period of time Saturday morning. About 1,360 Dominion customers were affected. The lights were back on by 11:00 a.m.

Arlington Population Rises — The latest census figures put Arlington’s official population at 207,627, nearly 10 percent higher than the county’s population in 2000. Arlington’s population growth is slightly below that of the state, which experienced 13 percent population growth between 2000 and 2010. [Sun Gazette]

Arlington Man HiJacks Bus — Investigators say an Arlington man hijacked a bus near Charlotte, N.C. on Thursday, claiming he had a gun and a bomb in a bag. No one was injured, but it did scare everyone on board. [WRAL]

Flickr pool photo by Mark C. White

APS Students Returning to More Relocatable Classrooms

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Public Schools will be opening next week with at least 600 more students than a year ago and 14 new relocatable classrooms to accommodate the burgeoning student body.

Relocatable classrooms —  superintendent Dr. Patrick Murphy prefers the term “learning cottages” — are here to stay in Arlington County. The school system, having determined that the portable units are ten times more cost-effective than physically building a new classroom, has started buying rather than leasing the “relocatables,” and has started buying them four at a time for a further cost savings.

This summer APS added four relocatables each to Glebe, Carlin Springs, and Barrett elementary schools. One relocatable was installed at Nottingham Elementary and H-B Woodlawn, according to APS spokesperson Frank Bellavia.

The school system also likes relocatables because of the flexibility they provide. They can be moved from school to school, can be put into reserve in case of a sudden influx of students, and can be removed if the student population enters a cyclical downturn, as it did in the 1990s.

Indeed, although student enrollment is projected to increase through 2020 (see chart below), school board member Sally Baird says the increase is as much a “generational spike” in certain areas of the county as it is a result of Arlington’s steadily growing population. That growth, she says, is only temporary.

“There will be, at some point, a plateau,” Baird said.

In addition to the “relocatables” — APS is also implementing a number of strategies specifically intended to allow then to squeeze in more students without laying a single brick.

Class sizes have increased by one student across the board, with the exception of the fourth and fifth grade classes. At high schools, classrooms are being utilized six out of seven periods, up from five. And Washington-Lee High School is offering “zero period” classes before the start of school, a strategy that may spread to other high schools.

One thing that the school system is no longer considering is redrawing school boundaries. Although the idea was under consideration, it was panned by parents when polled for an APS survey.

(more…)

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

“Looks Like a Supercell” — Yesterday’s storms produced some very interesting cloud formations, which Flickr pooler Philliefan99 captured beautifully. See our coverage of the extensive power outages caused by the storms here.

Ten Cars Damaged on North Rhodes Street — A driver who police believe was drunk smashed into as many as ten cars early this morning on North Rhodes Street. Around 12:30 a.m., residents reported hearing the sound of a car crash. When police arrived, they found as many as 10 cars with collision damage between Key Boulevard and Wilson Boulevard. Police located a man suspected of being the driver of the striking vehicle a short time later.

Arlington Population Grows In Latest Census Data — Arlington’s population grew by 7,300 people last year, a 3.5 percent increase, according to the latest census data. The rapid growth put Arlington on the list of the top 10 fastest-growing large metro areas in the country. More from the Washington Post.

Students Say Parents Allow Booze-Filled Parties — A panel of Arlington high school students says that some parents are regularly allowing their kids to throw illegal drinking parties. The rationale: hosting parties is better than seeing their kids “sneak off to parties where there is no adult supervision.” More from the Sun Gazette.

Flickr pool photo by Philliefan99.